Preliminary Canopy Removal Experiments in Algal Dominated Communities Low on the Shore and in the Shallow Subtidal on the Isle of Man

The algal dominated communities immediately above and below the low-water spring level on a moderately exposed Manx shore were investigated by canopy removal experiments. Fucus serratus, Laminaria digitata and L. hyperborea were removed. Competition was shown to be important in determining the zonation of L. digitata and the distribution along the wave exposure gradient of other species such as Alaria esculenta, Desmarestia aculeata and D. viridis, and L. saccharina. Many species of algal epiphytes were early colonizers of canopy removal areas suggesting that competition from canopy algae usually restricts them to an epiphytic habit. The results indicate that interactions between macrophytes are much more important than grazing in structuring these communities

Recent developments in thin silicon solar cells

Fifty micron thick cells 2x4 sq cm area with coplanar back contacts were made with good yield, and with output equivalent to conventional top/bottom contact cells of the same thickness. A wraparound junction (WAJ) design was selected, and used successfully. The low alpha cells delivered were all above 12%, the average efficiency was 13% and the best was 14%. The overall yield was 35 to 40%, comparable to that for conventional 50 micron cells. The process sequence was moderately complex, but showed good reproducibility. The CBC cells performed wall under several important environmental tests. High alpha CBC cells were made, with about 1% increase in conversion efficiency. The most important design criteria were the choice of back surface N+ and P+ areas

Relative Density and Resource Selection of Urban Red Foxes in Lincoln, Nebraska

Since early reports of urban red fox (Vulpes vulpes) populations in Great Britain, red fox populations have been studied in many large cities throughout Europe, North America, and Australia. However, there has been relatively little research conducted in moderately sized North American cities. To further the ecological understanding of red foxes in moderately sized cities, we investigated relative density and resource selection of the urban fox population in Lincoln, Nebraska. We used presence-only data collected from a citizen science project and inhomogeneous point process models to investigate relative density of urban foxes and deployed GPS collars on ten red foxes to investigate home range size, resource selection, and activity patterns. Our results indicate fox density is highly dependent upon developed open spaces, such as parks, golf course, and low-density residential areas. Further, we observed red foxes selecting developed open spaces and herbaceous areas, with activity being high through the majority of the night and peaking in the early morning. Together, our results indicate that developed open spaces and herbaceous areas are important habitat types for urban foxes. In these areas, red foxes are likely able to benefit from anthropogenic food subsidies and avoid predation by coyotes while minimizing the costs of living within urban areas, such as disturbance from human activity and mortality risk associated with roads. Our results and conclusions are consistent with much of the existing literature on urban foxes in other cities throughout the world, suggesting that red fox ecology in moderately sized North American cities is similar to that of foxes in other urban areas around the world. Advisor: Elizabeth VanWorme

Apicultural site zonation using GIS and multi-criteria decision analysis

This paper discusses the application of Geographical Information System (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) technology as a tool to aid decision-making in a case study to locate beekeeping zones in the state of Selangor. The combination of GIS capabilities with MCDM technique provides greater effectiveness and efficiency of decision making while solving spatial decision problems. In this research, land suitability analysis and zoning was carried out with respect to the bee's biotic needs and some other important factors in apiary management. Suitability weighting was determined using the pairwise comparison matrix of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and suitability score using Weighted Overlay function in ArcGIS9. The overall consistency ratio value of AHP pairwise comparison was 0.01 which indicates a reasonable level of consistency in the deployment of the pairwise comparisons. The results of the analysis are presented and verified with actual data of the existing apiaries in Selangor. The integration of AHP model with GIS resulted in Non-Suitable, Most Suitable, Moderately Suitable and Suitable beezones. The total Non Suitable Areas (NS) was 34.73%, leaving the remainder as potential areas (65.27%). The remaining are the Most Suitable Areas (S1) 13.72 %, Suitable Areas (S2) of 27.24% and Moderately Suitable Areas of 24.32 %

The status of river water quality in some rural areas, in state of Johor and its effects to life

Water is a basic requirement of human and other life. Water resources stems from rivers, streams, drains, ponds and so forth. The river is the natural water resources are very important for a human habitat. Malaysian water quality assessment is determined by the water quality Index (IKA) issued by the Department of environment (DOE) based on class I, II, III and IV. Now a water pollution also occurs in rural areas has affected the water quality and marine life. The objective of this writing is to determine river water quality in rural areas based on IKA. Kajian telah dijalankan di beberapa batang sungai di kawasan luar bandar di negeri Johor bermula dari bulan Februari sehingga April 2015. Water quality sampling was done three times in four different study locations. Determination of water quality involves measurement parameters pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammoniacal nitrogen (AN) and suspended solids (SS). The Measurements are made IKA the total calculated and used to classify the river either as untainted, slightly polluted moderately polluted, contaminated and polluted. The study found the status of three rivers polluted level contaminated (class IV) and a river are classified at the level of medium-polluted (class III). Deterioration of the status of IKA for all rivers surveyed not only affects marine life, even limiting water use to humans, for example, to daily activities

Graduates Assess Needed Skills and Knowledge for an Information Systems Program in a Small College

Skill/knowledge areas for undergraduate information systems (IS) curricula were assessed by computer and/or information systems professionals who were graduates of a small four-year college program. Survey of graduates was an initial step used to make recommendations for an IS program that would meet the needs of students enrolled in the small four-year college program and their potential employers. Forty graduates representing five regions of the country, and employed in positions ranging from analyst to software engineer participated. Findings indicated that more than 50 percent of graduates believed they possessed 27 (71.1%) of the skill/knowledge areas when hired. Of interest in designing a new program was finding that each of the 11 (28.9%) skill/knowledge areas not possessed required use of higher-order thinking skills, and used terms such as analyze, evaluate, and specify. However, of the skill/knowledge areas not possessed, graduates rated 8 (27.3%) not important or only moderately important in their work. More than half of graduates rated 20 (52.6%) of the 38 skill/knowledge areas very important or absolutely essential in their work

Counting Complex Disordered States by Efficient Pattern Matching: Chromatic Polynomials and Potts Partition Functions

Counting problems, determining the number of possible states of a large system under certain constraints, play an important role in many areas of science. They naturally arise for complex disordered systems in physics and chemistry, in mathematical graph theory, and in computer science. Counting problems, however, are among the hardest problems to access computationally. Here, we suggest a novel method to access a benchmark counting problem, finding chromatic polynomials of graphs. We develop a vertex-oriented symbolic pattern matching algorithm that exploits the equivalence between the chromatic polynomial and the zero-temperature partition function of the Potts antiferromagnet on the same graph. Implementing this bottom-up algorithm using appropriate computer algebra, the new method outperforms standard top-down methods by several orders of magnitude, already for moderately sized graphs. As a first application, we compute chromatic polynomials of samples of the simple cubic lattice, for the first time computationally accessing three-dimensional lattices of physical relevance. The method offers straightforward generalizations to several other counting problems.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Perceptions of Parents of Elementary Students in Paris Union School District #95, Paris, Illinois, Regarding Curriculum Trends, Instructional Techniques, and Support Services

The purpose of the field study was to ascertain the perceptions of parents of elementary students in grades K-5 in Paris Union School District #95, Paris, Illinois, regarding curriculum areas, instructional techniques, and support services. Addressing these areas was believed to be one important component in the process of determining the extent of the need for new or remodeled facilities at the elementary level in the district. The researcher believed facilities of the future may be significantly different from their predecessors depending upon the nature and extent of curriculum changes. Before new facilities were proposed for Paris Union School District #95, it was important to ascertain needs pertaining to the most desirable learning environments advantageous for maximizing learning into the 21st century. It was believed that perceptions of elementary parents would be beneficial input to the district as the process of studying facilities was undertaken. The field study utilized a review of literature and research about future curriculum trends, instructional techniques, and support services. A questionnaire was developed after summarizing the key points of the literature and research. The questionnaire was sent to 525 parents of students in grades K-5 at all of the four elementary attendance centers located in Paris Union School District #95. Parents indicated on the questionnaire how important they felt the listed items would be in their children\u27s education as they prepared for a life in the 21st century. Three hundred forty seven or 66% of the parents responded to the questionnaire. Parents generally perceived the core curriculum areas of language arts, mathematics, social sciences, science, physical education and health, and fine arts as being very important in their children\u27s educational future. Additionally, technology was considered very important by the parents for their children\u27s educational future. Parents marked the very important or moderately important categories 45% to 98% of the time for the items under curriculum areas. The core subject areas of language arts, mathematics, science, and social science, as well as the technological area of basic computer usage, were rated higher than the core areas of physical education and health and fine arts. The technological areas of internet usage and instructional television were not rated as highly in the very important response category as were the other technological areas. Very few responses were recorded in the somewhat important category for the items under curriculum areas. There were hardly any responses in the not important response category except for the fine arts items. Parents did not rate the items under instructional techniques as often in the very important response category as they did for the items under curriculum areas. They marked the very important and moderately important categories 73% to 98% of the time for the items under instructional techniques. There were few responses in the somewhat important category and hardly any responses in the not important category. Parents rated support services much as they did instructional techniques. The percentages ranged from 41 to 85 in the very important response category. When the very important and moderately important categories were combined, parents rated the items 72% to 96% as being important in their children\u27s educational future. There were several responses in the somewhat important response category and a few responses in the not important category. It was concluded that elementary parents in Paris Union School District #95 have a traditional view of education. They perceived the basics, as well as knowing how to operate a computer, as being very important in their children\u27s educational future. It was also concluded that parents did favor research-based instructional techniques. A third conclusion was that while over half of the parents favor social services, they may not be aware of mandated social services or do not highly favor having them offered in the schools. A final conclusion was that Paris Union School District #95 may not have the facilities to adequately provide the items parents indicated were important. Recommendations included better communication or inservicing of parents, examining existing space in current facilities for new or expanded programs as suggested by the parents, another survey of parents and possibly other community members regarding their desire for new or remodeled facilities, and finally, studying the many other aspects of facilities

Suitability of Seagrass Ecosystem for Marine Ecotourism in Padang City, West Sumatera Province

Seagrass ecosystems are exciting parts of the tropical coastal region that are potential for ecotourism activities. Marine ecotourism sector in the city of Padang has begun to develop within last few years. This development has not only positive impacts but also negative threats to the environment. Therefore, carefully select the most suitable areas for this purpose is important. This article aims to propose the potential areas for seagrass ecotourism in Padang city based on Geographic information system (GIS) analysis. We used spatial analysis to develop the seagrass ecotourism suitability index that is also potentially applicable to other areas. The results of the analysis show that area of the seagrass ecosystem in Nirwana beach (23.75 ha), Cindakir beach (2.56 ha), and Pasumpahan island (5.46 ha) with a total area of the seagrass ecosystem overall in Padang City (31.78 ha). These areas have been overgrown by Thalassia hemprichii with coverage 50 – 75 % in Nirwana beach, 25 – 50 % in Cindakir beach and Pasumpahan Island. The suitable areas for seagrass ecotourism were found on the beach of Nirwana (covers 84% as very suitable), Cindakir beach (covers 73 % as moderately suitable) and Pasumpahan island (covers 78 % as moderately suitable). We found that activities of local communities decreased the suitability of Cindakir beach and Pasumpahan island because these activities increase the abundance of mud in the substrate of waters

Public policies to promote productive occupation and increase formality among the moderately poor: the Mexican agenda

Public policy aimed at building capacity among the extremely poor (support for food and nutrition; health; education and, more recently, financial services), combined with a stable macroeconomic environment, has proved to be successful for poverty alleviation in Mexico. Even though overall poverty is still very pronounced, about four million people originally in extreme or intermediate poverty registered real income gains during 2000-02 and entered moderate poverty, concentrated mostly in urban areas, where it exceeds extreme and intermediate poverty. Thus, the emerging challenge consists of defining and coordinating specific policies for the moderately poor, whose social and demographic characteristics and economic needs differ from those at deeper levels of poverty. At present, income generation among the moderately poor depends on informal employment, because structural factors impede these workers from participating in the formal sector. To foster social and economic development of this group, employment policies in general and policies to facilitate formal activities in particular, stand out as the key elements. Promoting greater formality among the moderately poor requires updating laws and regulations, but equally important, education, training, financial services, technical and administrative assistance for entrepreneurs, etc., must be applied for a sustainable increase in income. The policies should increase formality, which is important for improving income and social protection for the moderately poor; for integrating activities that can benefit from trading with each other, for increasing the competitiveness of the Mexican economy as a whole; for improving political governance and consolidating the rule of law. An integral support programme to raise productivity and income of the moderately poor and to promote their participation in the formal sector activities is outlined in this study. – inequality ; poverty ; income ; education ; gender ; employmen